


the murder instinct

by crushculture (candybeat)



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Choi Beomgyu/Huening Kai/Choi Yeonjun (hinted), Established Choi Beomgyu/Huening Kai, Fluff and Humor, M/M, i am the change i wanted to see in the world, i just really wanted taehyun to serenade someone with one less lonely girl, i wish i toto was here, soobq (ha! as friends for like .5 seconds)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29017845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candybeat/pseuds/crushculture
Summary: nobody activates taehyun’s murder instinct more than choi beomgyu.(or: beomgyu dares taehyun to serenade his crush, soobin. what's taehyun supposed to do? say no and get clowned?)
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 14
Kudos: 126





	the murder instinct

nobody activates taehyun’s murder instinct more than choi beomgyu. 

sometimes, he’ll look at taehyun with his beady little gaze and his conniving mouth lifted slightly into a smirk and taehyun has to fight the instinct to put him in a headlock. 

taehyun knows he should be the better person, elevate himself to a higher moral plane, or just straight up avoid the demon. unfortunately for him, choi beomgyu is dating his best friend, huening kai. and as much as beomgyu annoys him, he loves kai way, way more—more than enough to bear beomgyu’s presence. 

it doesn’t make it any less terrible though. he has to see beomgyu at lunch, has to watch kai make heart eyes at him, has to listen to beomgyu open his big mouth—okay, so maybe he’s being a little unfair. beomgyu’s a decent person, taehyun would have protested their relationship way more if he wasn’t. 

it’s just that—taehyun sighs, beomgyu has this terrible habit of baiting him into doing things he doesn’t really want to do. 

yes, nobody gets to tell taehyun what to do. yes, nobody gets to fool taehyun into doing things he doesn’t want to do. yet, choi beomgyu manages to do it every time, and it makes taehyun want to tear his hair out each time. 

taehyun seems to never learn, and this time? he knows he’s going to more than want to tear his hair out. he’s going to want to bungee jump off a tower (which you should know means a lot. taehyun is so freaking scared of heights) at what he’s just agreed to. 

so you understand where taehyun’s coming from, here’s what happened: 

taehyun was minding his business, eating his sandwich when kai asks, “taehyunnie, did you want to go to this cat cafe after classes today? there’s this one beomgyu found and we think it’d be fun to do together—” 

“sorry,” taehyun cuts in, sincere and apologetic, “i promised soobin-hyung we’d do work at the library today—” 

“oh?” beomgyu raises a brow, his voice had insinuation simmering in it. “another date with the big man?” 

“please never call him the big man ever again,” taehyun says, addressing the worst part of that statement. “also it’s not a date. stop calling it a date.” 

beomgyu smiles, you know, like the demon that he is, and says, “well maybe if you asked him out, it would be a date. don’t you want soobin-hyung to be your boyfriend?” 

taehyun sighs, hating the fact that he has to explain it again, “i want him to ask me. and i don’t know, there’s nothing romantic about confessing while we’re doing homework. besides, i can’t tell if he likes me.” 

kai pouts, quietly reaching for taehyun’s hand and linking their pinkies together. taehyun doesn’t glance at him, but his pinky curls tighter around kai’s. “i think he does,” kai says, softly, “when i see you guys together, he’s always so affectionate with you—” 

“he’s affectionate with everyone. i thought that he might like me, and then i saw him with someone else and he’s just as friendly and nice.” taehyun reasons, “and i know i could just ask, but i don’t know. why should i ask? if he’s interested, then wouldn’t he have asked already? i’ve dropped enough hints.” 

beomgyu hums, “isn’t it worth asking, though? maybe he’s waiting for you to ask, and you’re sitting here waiting for him to ask. you guys could be dating by now.” 

it’s easy for beomgyu to say. kai’s feelings were so plain and obvious on his face. isn’t it much easier to confess when you know the person reciprocates back? 

at taehyun’s lack of response, beomgyu leans back against his seat and rests his head on kai’s shoulder. taehyun gets to watch kai glow pink in delight at the gesture. okay, taehyun will admit, they’re cute together. 

beomgyu grins, “you want romance? why don’t you confess at the showcase?” 

“hyung,” kai frowns at beomgyu’s challenge. “if taehyun doesn’t want to confess, then he shouldn’t.” 

“i’m just saying,” beomgyu shrugs, inspecting his nails. “we all know taehyun can sing and has no problems with public speaking. why don’t you serenade soobin-hyung?” 

“oh god,” taehyun rolls his eyes, “i meant,  _ i _ want to be romanced. not me doing the romance—” 

“oh my god,” this time it’s beomgyu who rolls his eyes, “all i hear are excuses. are you too much of a coward? the taehyun i know could easily go up on that stage and sing his favorite song on earth to his favorite boy on earth and do it cooly. or am i wrong?” 

“you want me to sing justin bieber to soobin-hyung?” taehyun asks in disbelief. 

beomgyu frowns, “a justin bieber song is your favorite song?” 

kai helpfully adds, “one less lonely girl, hyung. it’s a classic.” 

“oh, honey,” beomgyu says, patting kai’s cheek, like he’s sorry to hear it. 

meanwhile, beomgyu’s words are feeling like a knife against taehyun’s throat. 

_ easily go up the stage, _ taehyun’s brain repeats,  _ sing his favorite song. _ his fist tightens by his side,  _ cooly.  _

his eyes narrow at choi beomgyu, who’s just sitting there cooing over kai, and thinks,  _ is he saying i’m uncool if i don’t do it?  _

something in him burns. taehyun clears his throat, tries to look super casual as he says, “i could do it.” 

kai and beomgyu turn to him. kai with both brows raised in surprise. beomgyu with his hand covering his mouth. kai recovers first, “oh my god, are you serious?” 

taehyun knows he’s going to regret it. he’s regretting it already, looking into both of their shiny eyes. “would i joke about such a thing?” 

“o-m-g,” beomgyu says, “i can’t believe you’re actually doing it.” 

god, taehyun does  _ no _ t want to do it. 

“i mean,” taehyun wiping his hands with a napkin, “i will totally do it if soobin comes. he might not even come.” 

“oh, don’t worry about that. we’ll make sure he can come,” beomgyu grins. 

kai turns to him with a matching grin, suddenly excited, “yeah, don’t worry about that part, tae. we’ll ask yeonjun-hyung for help.” 

fuck, taehyun thinks. there’s no way soobin won’t attend then. all these two have to do is bat their lashes at yeonjun and he’ll do anything. 

“you know, it’s not nice to use yeonjun-hyung’s crush on both of you like this,” taehyun says, feeling happy when the two of them spill their denials. 

“he does not have a crush on both of us,” kai argues, while beomgyu agrees with a nod, “i can’t believe you would say that. sure, it would be nice if he had a crush on us, but there’s just no way.” 

now, let the record show that choi yeonjun, third-year dance major, does indeed have a big, fat crush on both choi beomgyu and huening kai. 

evidence? choi soobin confirmed it himself. taehyun heard it from his own mouth (a lovely, lovely mouth, taehyun admits off the record). and taehyun could tell both of them, but well—where’s the fun in that? besides, it’s not his secret to tell, even if soobin himself spilled it. 

besides, taehyun has more than enough stuff to worry about than that. yeonjun will definitely have soobin sitting in the audience if these two have their way (and taehyun doesn’t doubt that they surely will). 

if he’s going to do this, he might as well do it well. 

* * *

taehyun spends a lot of time practicing. enough time that practice spills over his other engagements. 

even now, as he’s studying with soobin, he can’t help but think about the stage. his lines, his movements, the audience. 

_ soobin’s reaction.  _

taehyun’s eyes slide over to the man of the hour. watches him frown at his textbook. his hair looks like a mess, probably from running his hands through it in frustration. 

“you okay?” taehyun leans his chin at his propped up palm. 

“huh?” soobin looks up, smiling as he mirrors taehyun’s position, “yeah, it’s just these readings. why do they always write stuff using such big words? i think i’ve been rereading this same paragraph for the past ten minutes.” 

“maybe now’s a good time for a break then?” taehyun suggests. to make soobin feel better, he shares, “i haven’t been getting far on my work either. do you wanna grab something from the caf real quick?” 

soobin stretches his arms up in the air and his shirt slightly rides up too. taehyun has to pretend he doesn’t notice the small sliver skin that appears. he stands up instead, offering, “or if you want to keep going, that’s fine too. i just need some caffeine.” 

“no, no,” soobin yawns out, standing up too, and grabbing his discarded jacket, “i need the walk. if we’re going to be here for another hour or two, it’ll help.” 

“alright,” taehyun grins, grabbing onto soobin’s arm and pulling him out of the library, “let’s go, let’s go.” 

soobin laughs, letting taehyun cling to his arm, “so? why are you distracted?” 

taehyun pouts at him, “i’m just tired.” 

“really?” soobin says, like he can’t believe it. “my kang taehyun tired? that’s the first time i’m hearing it.” 

taehyun rolls my eyes, “i’m allowed to be tired. maybe it’s the semester catching up to me.” 

soobin actually frowns, “you’re not spreading yourself too thin, right? who told you to join three different clubs when you’re already taking more units than the average student—” 

“i’m fine,” taehyun pats soobin’s arm, though he’s secretly pleased at the concern. “i like being busy. i like trying out new things. that’s what you tell all the first years at orientation, right? figure yourself out, try everything.” 

that was how they met, by the way. soobin had been his orientation leader and they got friendly over the course of that week. they’d exchanged numbers, promising each other they’d hang out, only to find out days later that taehyun was in the same philosophy class as soobin. 

“okay,” soobin says in a tone that tells taehyun he has more to say. but first—caffeine.

they reach the campus cafe, with soobin opening the door for him and taehyun going through first. it’s gestures like these, small yet sweet, that remind taehyun of why he likes soobin so much. he’s just nice in a thoughtless way, which tells you of how genuine it is. 

it’s also the reason why taehyun’s been holding back on telling soobin how he feels. soobin makes him feel special, but he’s not quite sure this behavior is uniquely shown to taehyun. 

here’s what he means: 

when they go up to the counter, soobin lets taehyun order first, and after that, taehyun gets to watch soobin flirt with the barista. he’s told kai about this—this particular trait of soobin’s—and kai didn’t believe him. 

_ (soobin-hyung? a flirt? _ kai had asked in disbelief.  _ are you sure you didn’t confuse him with yeonjun-hyung?) _

soobin is always so friendly with the people he meets that taehyun couldn’t believe it when soobin had told him he was an introvert. with this barista, for example, soobin just doesn’t give his order. he asks how the barista is doing, jokes with them, and lingers far longer than expected. 

isn’t that flirting? this banter he’s seeing right now? 

_ maybe he’s just being friendly? _ the kind voice in his brain says. it sounds exactly like kai. 

taehyun doesn’t think so. when soobin acts the same way with him, everybody calls it flirting. so what’s taehyun supposed to think? 

taehyun minds his business, busying himself by looking at the cork board on the wall. there’s all sorts of flyers for different things. there’s one advertising tutoring services, another asking for volunteers for a research project. and lo and behold, there’s one all about the showcase taehyun’s signed himself up for. 

“are you going to that?” 

taehyun nearly jumps when he hears soobin ask that way too close to his ear. when he turns his head, soobin doesn’t even move away and so, they end up way too close for taehyun’s heart to bear.

taehyun moves away and decides, he’d rather not say anything to soobin until he’s on stage, ready to sing his heart out. “nah, i think i’ll pass.” 

“what?” soobin says, surprised, “it’s going to be really fun, though. i bet kai and beomgyu are going.” 

“they are,” taehyun confirms, “i have something else going on at the same time, so i can’t.” 

“you go to everything, but not this?” soobin whines, putting his hands on taehyun’s shoulders and shaking him. “kang taehyun, come on!” 

taehyun laughs, putting his hands on top of soobin’s, “even if i came, it’s not like we’d be hanging out. i’m assuming you’re going with yeonjun-hyung, right?” 

soobin rolls his eyes, “as if. he’d somehow find his way to your best friends and stick there. and then we’ll both be third wheeling.” 

“fourth wheeling,” taehyun corrects with a teasing smile, “i guess that’ll be you then.” 

“nooooo,” soobin throws himself towards taehyun, in what feels like should be a chokehold but really just feels like a hug, “what am i gonna do without you? beomgyu’s going to bully me and no one’s going to defend me.” 

taehyun wraps his arms around soobin’s waist, because, well. he loves hugging soobin, that’s a fact that won’t change whether they’re friends or not, and taehyun never misses an opportunity when it presents itself. 

when the barista calls their coffee orders and they pull away, taehyun smiles, “you’ll just have to miss me then.” 

soobin’s answering laugh is enough to buoy him all the way through the night of the showcase. 

* * *

okay, so maybe, serenading your crush in front of a live audience is scarier than it looks. 

taehyun didn’t feel any nerves as he was practicing nor did he feel any fear as he thought about doing it. okay, that’s also maybe a lie that he’s been repeating to kai, who’s nice enough to reassure taehyun again and again that he never has to do anything he doesn’t want to. 

it’s maybe a lie too that he’s doing it purely to avoid beomgyu from clowning him. because standing up here, on this stage, waiting for his turn to perform? he’s not thinking about beomgyu’s smug face at all. 

soobin’s the only thing in his mind. 

“are you sure you want to do this?” kai is by his side once again. 

“it’s a little too late to back out,” taehyun smiles, but he’s wrapping his arms around kai, squeezing him tight. “i think i can do it.” 

“yeah?” kai says, rubbing his back. “you’ll be okay? not nervous at all?” 

with kai, taehyun guesses he could be honest. he rests his chin on kai’s shoulder, breathes in the comfort, and admits, “i’m so nervous.” 

“about performing?” 

taehyun shakes his head, “about soobin’s reaction. what if i get rejected tonight?” 

“i don’t think you will, tae,” kai says, and then pulls back, “even if he does, it’ll be his loss. how can he reject the coolest guy in the world? what other guy is ready to perform one less lonely girl and dethrone jbiebs?” 

taehyun laughs, feeling loads lighter than when he started. “i love you, you’re the best.” 

his name is being called to the stage. kai laughs as he pushes him towards the light, “i love you too. go kill it.” 

* * *

“you know,” beomgyu says, chomping on his churros, “i didn’t think taehyun would actually do it.” 

kai stands together with him, close to the stage, ready to videotape taehyun’s performance. “don’t lie, hyung. you knew what you were doing when you were teasing him about it.” 

beomgyu pouts, extending a churro up to kai’s mouth and feeds him with it, “i did it for us. once him and soobin-hyung are together, then we can get yeonjun-hyung all to ourselves.” 

kai giggles, “that’s a bonus for you and you know it. you and taehyun always pretend to fight, but you both like each other.” 

beomgyu purses his mouth, and it’s so cute kai can’t help but sneak a smooch. beomgyu smiles, “fine, i admit it. it  _ would _ be nice to see taehyun happy. he’s getting too good at yearning.” 

before kai can respond, the mc on stage is finally done introducing taehyun and taehyun finally has the stage to himself. 

“where’s soobin-hyung?” kai asks in panic, suddenly remembering, “did yeonjun-hyung get him?”

“yeah,” beomgyu nods, turning his head to point soobin out, “oh, he’s walking right up to us—”

“guys!” soobin looks winded, “you didn’t tell me taehyun was performing tonight—”

beomgyu shushes him, “hey! be quiet, taehyun’s about to perform—”

they hear someone loudly clearing their throat, the sound of it boosted by the speakers. it’s taehyun. 

he’s shining on stage, even as he looks slightly shy as he starts, “i never thought i’d be doing this. but a person in my life once asked if i was too much of a coward to do this. and i just think it’s important for every single one of you to know to stand up to the bullies of your life—” 

beside kai, beomgyu has his mouth open, a finger pointed at himself, as soobin and the rest of the audience laughs. 

“i’m kidding,” taehyun laughs softly, “as fun as it is to prove people wrong, that’s not the reason why i’m doing this. no...i’m doing this, because there’s someone i like and i’m tired of not knowing if he likes me back. so, i’m gonna sing this song to let him know how i feel.” 

kai sneaks a peek at soobin’s reaction and he’s just wide-eyed. 

taehyun signals for the music to start, and kai begins to hear the familiar strum of the guitar. oh, kai could recreate this song in his head without even trying. 

someone in the audience yells, “who is it?!” 

“oh gosh,” taehyun says, cutely scratching his head, “almost forgot. choi soobin, are you here?” 

beside them, soobin freezes. no worries, they answer on his behalf. 

beomgyu and kai yell, “he’s right here!!!” 

the audience oohs as taehyun’s eyes land on them. “hyung,” taehyun speaks like it’s only soobin he can see, “this one’s for you.” 

“oh my god,” soobin seems too in shock to say anything else. but he doesn’t need to say anything. 

he just needs to listen. 

and listen he does. taehyun is  _ so _ good. kai isn’t surprised, they’ve sang this song enough times at the karaoke, often with him as a duet performance, a tambourine in one hand and a mic on the other. 

taehyun sings the first verse full of charisma, like he’s really an international popstar. he sings each line, like the lyrics are his personal truth, like he really will make one less lonely girl (soobin) in the world. 

it’s the best performance of the night. 

the lyrics are a little bit too specific and taehyun rightfully looks at the crowd when he sings those. but the chorus, the lyrics he really means, those he looks directly at soobin as he sings it. 

kai wonders if he should maybe have been videotaping soobin’s reaction instead. but he shrugs, those are for taehyun’s eyes only. 

the performance is about to end and taehyun has somehow managed to produce roses out of thin air, throwing it to the crowd, which only hypes them up even more. 

“he’s going all out,” beomgyu murmurs, a little in awe. 

“the showcase  _ is _ a contest,” kai says, but he’s impressed too. no wonder taehyun was too busy practicing. his friend really doesn’t half-ass anything. 

and before they know it, the performance has ended and taehyun is bowing. they cheer so loud, they don’t think their throats will be okay after. 

kai turns to ask soobin what he thinks, but when he looks, all he sees is air. 

soobin’s gone. 

* * *

taehyun thinks he blacked out. 

he’s pretty sure he did well considering the cheers from the crowd, but if anyone asks him to give a detailed account? he wouldn’t be able to tell them a damn thing. 

he felt like a man possessed. everything after he made eye contact with soobin is a blur. 

_ soobin.  _

taehyun wobbly descends down the stage’s stairs to look for him. 

lucky for him, he finds soobin immediately. 

unlucky for him, soobin’s already talking to someone else. worse, he’s in someone else’s arms. 

taehyun’s heart drops, wondering if that’s his answer to taehyun’s confession. taehyun shakes his head, if soobin is rejecting him, he wants to hear it straight from his mouth. 

he steels himself and waits for soobin to be done. only walks up to him when he hears soobin say, “i’ll see you, changmin-hyung!” 

soobin screams in shock when he turns and taehyun’s standing in front of him. 

“boo?” taehyun says, amused despite the nerves. 

“you have to stop doing that,” soobin says, clutching his chest. 

“i will when you stop giving me such a funny reaction,” taehyun smiles. 

soobin bites his lip, and taehyun thinks this is it. the real performance is here and ready to begin. 

taehyun breathes, “did you like the performance, hyung?” 

“you were...great,” soobin says, breathless, “i didn’t know you could sing that well. it was really good.” 

taehyun glows at the praise, but it’s not enough. it’s not the words he’s looking for. he holds onto his arm, pursing his mouth, gathering all his fear in one breath before letting it out. “thanks, i did it for you.” 

soobin makes a strangled noise, “taehyun—” 

“um,” taehyun starts, stumbles, and curses internally when he feels his ears get hot. “soobin-hyung,” taehyun bravely says, looking straight at soobin, “i really like you. always have, maybe even since the beginning. do you want to go out with me?’ 

“i-uh,” is all that comes out of soobin, as he covers his face with his hands. 

taehyun can’t tell if that’s a yes or a no. “hyung, can you give me a proper answer? i promise i won’t mind even if you say no. well, i’ll definitely mind, but it’s okay even if you do— “

“no!” soobin blurts out, and taehyun’s brows raise in surprise before he frowns, “oh.” 

soobin waves his large dinosaur hands, “no, no, i don’t mean no—”

“oh?” taehyun perks up, gaining hope—enough to tentatively reach for soobin’s hands. “hyung, be straight with me. do you like me or not?” 

soobin grips his hands tight, swallows the stupid lump in his throat and nods, “i like you. i like you a lot, taehyun. i’m just recovering from all that—”

“what,” taehyun giggles, he’s floating high from soobin’s words.  _ i like you a lot, taehyun. _ oh taehyun will replay those words over and over again until he’s sick of it. “nobody’s ever serenaded you like that?” 

soobin shakes his head, “no. never. but then again, nobody’s like  _ you.” _

“and what’s that like?” taehyun asks, swinging their intertwined hands between them. 

“amazing. cool. charming—”

soobin’s saying the most generic of compliments and taehyun’s giggling straight into his chest. forgive him, it’s the post-performance high and his crush likes him back. he’ll be cool some other time. 

he feels soobin’s hand stroking the back of his head and so, he lifts his head up slightly to peek at soobin. when he does, he finds that soobin’s already looking at him. 

for the first time, he notices how pink he looks. pink face. pink mouth. 

soobin’s voice is sweet and soft like pink cotton candy when he asks, “can i kiss you?” 

taehyun nods, closing his eyes as soobin leans in. 

before soobin can kiss him though, he hears the last person he wants to see on earth call his name. 

“yo, kang taehyun!” comes choi beomgyu’s booming voice. 

taehyun could fucking sigh. 

“oh!” that’s kai’s voice, and when taehyun turns, he sees the whole entourage watching him. they all have varying expressions of sheepishness on their faces. 

it’s yeonjun who usher them out, “sorry! we’ll meet you guys outside.” 

taehyun doesn’t even get to wave goodbye before soobin’s pulling him back and kissing him. 

choi beomgyu will live another day. 

nobody deactivates taehyun’s murder instinct more than choi soobin. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i never apologize before a work, but i will apologize after....i'm sorry. yes he sang one less lonely girl by justin bieber. yes now that i'm done with taylor swift songfics this is what my mind logically moved on to. yes i didn't even proofread this. this is raw brain dump. please leave me a kudos if u laughed. i am a humble bard. (ya i was a respected author once, i have range).


End file.
